i know a lot of people extol the fact haikyuu is so much more than just volleyball and i count myself as one of them (i literally made this whole side blog bc of it), but also? hq is honestly just that: volleyball. that volleyball is fun. even furudate has said they wrote hq to show that volleyball is fun. the title of the series is literally “volleyball!!” i think that’s one of the main reasons hq is so good, that what came out of furudate wanting to prove how fun volleyball is was this incredibly transformational work of media packed with astute observations on life, relationships, coming into yourself as a person, and self care…all within the simple framework of volleyball. all the underlying themes such as connections, being strong is being free, surpassing your limits, hunger, genius vs talent, etc stem from the story’s central core of playing volleyball. i think i said it before, but the plot of hq is not complex or inherently unique especially in the realm of shounen manga: the main character who is lacking but wants to be the best, his rival he wants to surpass, and the mc or group’s collective goal of wanting to reach a virtually impossible goal (in the case of sports series this is usually nationals). everything that happens during and in between…it is all about volleyball and playing volleyball.
volleyball is the catalyst for everyone’s character arcs in the series. it’s precisely because of volleyball that their worlds are altered, what makes them grow as players and people. it’s due to volleyball that they learn to come into their own as people no matter what that journey looks like or where they eventually end up. i get it’s certain people who are saying, “it’s just about playing volleyball” to be dismissive but like, objectively, that statement isn’t wrong. i don’t know if i’m managing to articulate what i mean here but i just think it’s so great that hq really is just about playing volleyball. and that furudate wrote all 402 chapters, created all of these characters with emotionally moving development with which to say, “yes this story is volleyball. all of this is precisely what volleyball is. it is living and life itself.”
there is no greater love letter to something than what haikyuu is to volleyball



















